ISS signs agreement with the National Law School of India University

The MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) sets the foundation for what is hoped to be a fruitful partnership between ISS and the National Law School of India University, Bangalore.

On March 2, ISS signed an agreement establishing cooperation with NLSIU (National Law School of India University) through an integrated PhD programme in Public Policy. The MoU agreement offer students and faculty opportunities for exchange and further advancement in research.

Upon successful defence of their proposal in the second year, a selected number of students will be able to participate in advanced research methods courses at ISS for one or two terms. The MoU also provides for the possibility of the exchange of faculty and research fellows as well as collaborative research, lectures, symposia, and workshops.

ISS faculty member Dr Sylvia Bergh (Associate Professor in Development Management and Governance) and Professor Sony Pellissery of NLSIU have since 2014 been collaborating in the framework of NWO-ICSSR financed research projects on issues to do with the politics of service delivery and public sector accountability.

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The first Indian integrated PhD programme in Public Policy is officially in place from the academic year 2018-19. The programme is introduced after the launch of the very successful Masters’ degree programme in Public Policy in 2014. The key advantage of public policy studies at NLSIU is the ability to gain training in law and constitution, while most of the public policy schools focus primarily on economic aspects.

The integrated PhD programme has a provision for M.Phil. as a terminal degree after the first year. In the first year of the programme, rigorous training in interdisciplinary research is provided in addition to core courses in public policy theory. Professor Venkata Rao called the programme as ‘innovative’ designed for the challenging time of India.